Philippines creates blacklist of Saudi maid employers

Saudi employers are accused of abusing foreign maids, including some of the 60,000 Filipino women in the kingdom

maid

By Courtney Trenwith

Tue 08 Jul 2014 01:46 PM

The Philippines’ Labour Ministry has reportedly prepared a blacklist of Saudi employers who have abused or sexually harassed their Filipino housemaids to prevent them hiring in the future.

Most of the names on the list have been added based on testimony given by Filipino maids, while others have been identified from social media comments and videos, Arabic daily Makkah reported.

Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, which sends thousands of women to work as maids in the kingdom, signed an historic agreement in May last year covering the employment of Filipino maids in the kingdom after years of disputes.

Filipino maids only returned to the country in 2012 after the kingdom agreed to set a $400 minimum monthly salary.

Human rights groups also have raised concerns about the treatment of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia.

They estimate about 45 foreign maids are on death row in the kingdom. In January last year, a 24-year old Sri Lankan housemaid was beheaded for allegedly killing a child left in her care in 2005.

The Philippines’ Labour Attaché in the Eastern Province Alexander Padaen told Makkah there was rising demand for housemaids from the Philippines and the embassy received about 40,000 requests each year.